► This qualitative study explored the roles of the upbringing environments and mass-mediated sources in the socialization of compulsive buyers. Its purpose was to find the…
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▼ This qualitative study explored the roles of the upbringing environments and mass-mediated sources in the socialization of compulsive buyers. Its purpose was to find the answers to these research questions: what does it mean to be a compulsive buyer; what kind of role does family play in the consumer socialization of compulsive buyers; what kind of role does mass media and advertising play in the consumer socialization of compulsive buyers? To answer these questions, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 women respondents who were identified as compulsive buyers and who fit into one of four categories: the Provider, the Striver, the Abused, and the Neglected. Findings of this study showed that regardless of what type of compulsive buyer they are, all informants, because of their upbringing, generally have low self-esteem and feel as if they are not good enough in their own right as a human being. Compulsive buying is used primarily as a means to temporarily escape from, as well as to substitute for, this sense of inadequacy. There was a universal belief among these women that having plenty of material things, being successful and/or socially visible are the prerequisites for being happy. This belief is the meaning they have constructed from their interactions with other people as well as from their exposure to mass media and advertising.

Tesgim, S. (2004). The Socialization of Compulsive Buyers: The Roles of Families and Mass-Mediated Sources. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Retrieved from https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4571

Tesgim S. The Socialization of Compulsive Buyers: The Roles of Families and Mass-Mediated Sources. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Tennessee – Knoxville; 2004. Available from: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4571

► The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to identify a strategy for the assessment of the interpersonal communication course. As envisioned, the assessment process…
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▼ The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to identify a strategy for the assessment of the interpersonal communication course. As envisioned, the assessment process focused on key elements of the course: knowledge of concepts, theories, and research findings; development of interpersonal skills through verbal and written activities; and understanding of a range of interpersonal contexts. Through a course-embedded assessment procedure, the review process examined students, faculty, and the course itself through various forms of formal and informal, direct and indirect methods.
Findings revealed an increase in communication apprehension and decrease in interpersonal communication motives from the beginning of the term to the end. Relational communication perceptions were found to be similar for self and partner evaluations. Skills identified by the instructor were attained but were not found to have any significant relationship to final grades or course evaluations. Similarly, course evaluations and final grades were not found to be significantly related. These elements along with the faculty questionnaire provided insight into improving the impact of the Interpersonal Communication course.
Further analysis and future research directions are discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: John Haas, Michelle Violanti, Dorothy Bowles.

► This study explored the relationship between people who play massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) and their avatars, as well as the impact on players’…
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▼ This study explored the relationship between people who play massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) and their avatars, as well as the impact on players’ self-esteem and perceived social capital in the real world. To examine these influences of online video gameplay, this research investigated gamers who play the popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft (WoW). This study employed an online survey made available on Reddit, a widely-used news, entertainment, and social-networking website, in which all the content is user-generated. The research questionnaire was intended to reveal the bond between MMORPG players and their avatars; the study examined how this relationship could influence MMORPG players’ confidence in themselves and advance their network of relationships in the real world. The strength of the WoW players’ identification with their avatar did have some impact on their self-esteem in the real world; however, there was no significant relationship between avatar self-identification and perceived social capital in the real world. Additionally, this research did reveal a substantial correlation between self-esteem and perceived social capital in the real world.

Watts, M. (2016). Avatar Self-Identification, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Capital in the Real World: A Study of World of Warcraft Players and their Avatars. (Thesis). University of South Florida. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6155

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Watts, Melissa. “Avatar Self-Identification, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Capital in the Real World: A Study of World of Warcraft Players and their Avatars.” 2016. Thesis, University of South Florida. Accessed February 22, 2019.
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6155.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Watts, Melissa. “Avatar Self-Identification, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Capital in the Real World: A Study of World of Warcraft Players and their Avatars.” 2016. Web. 22 Feb 2019.

Vancouver:

Watts M. Avatar Self-Identification, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Capital in the Real World: A Study of World of Warcraft Players and their Avatars. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of South Florida; 2016. [cited 2019 Feb 22].
Available from: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6155.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Watts M. Avatar Self-Identification, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Capital in the Real World: A Study of World of Warcraft Players and their Avatars. [Thesis]. University of South Florida; 2016. Available from: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6155

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

5.
Schieber, Danica L.Learning transfer from the business communication classroom to the workplace.

► This dissertation is a longitudinal study, following business majors from a business communication class to their new workplaces to see if they are able to…
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▼ This dissertation is a longitudinal study, following business majors from a business communication class to their new workplaces to see if they are able to transfer learning from one context to the next. While many studies have analyzed possible instances of transfer, few studies have followed students from the classroom to the workplace, and very few have specifically worked with the population of business majors. This study analyzed participants’ writing and reflective work using a case study qualitative methodology, informed by Grounded Theory, Legitimate Peripheral Participation, and Activity Theory.
A significant finding of this study is that one of the participants was able to directly transfer some rhetorical skills and genre knowledge from the business communication classroom to his new workplace, and use it effectively. He showed that high road transfer can be achieved if the participant is highly motivated to do so. In some cases, participants showed a developmental trajectory of learning, where they practiced and developed these rhetorical strategies during the semester, and were then able to use them effectively later in their jobs/internships. Specifically, participants were able to develop audience awareness, specific genre knowledge, and professional writing styles even further in their new contexts.
One of the key findings in this research study is the importance of three factors that may help promote an environment that is conducive to transfer of learning: knowledge of how a community of practice works, participants’ self-identity, and gradual fuller participation within the community. However, participants who did not have access to that knowledge, did not identify with the new community, and were not encouraged to participate more fully within the community had a challenging time transferring learning to those new communities and actually becoming a part of them.
I argue that instructors and researchers may need to reassess the way we study about and define transfer, or we may disregard some learning developments that are occurring right in our writing classrooms. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

► The Walter Reed Institute of Army Research developed the antimalarial drug mefloquine then collaborated with Hoffman-La Roche to produce the drug under its brand name…
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▼ The Walter Reed Institute of Army Research developed the antimalarial drug mefloquine then collaborated with Hoffman-La Roche to produce the drug under its brand name "Lariam," after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved licensure in 1989. For over twenty years, the Army used this pill as its "drug of choice" for soldiers deployed to endemic regions until 2009, and in 2013 the Food and Drug Administration warned that the drug's neurotoxic effects could be lasting, if not permanent. The sociopolitical exigence of developing a new biochemical antimalarial drug rushed the development and licensure processes, and the modern craving for certainty in the New Drug Application (NDA) process led to a biomedical disaster – economically, politically, and interpersonally. In this paper, I present the factors contributing to uncertainty and heightened exigence in the development of what I call "mef-Lariam" in a nod to Latourian hybridization. By tracing the history of the drug's development process, I argue that definitional stasis around the NDA genre's terms safe and effective undergird a dangerous ontological orientation to medicine that privileges an ethic of expediency. Finally, I argue that actor-network theory can help medical rhetors apply a more ethical, multiple view of medical research that could prevent the future licensure of toxic pharmaceuticals.

► The Crisis and Emergency-Risk Communication (CERC) model is effective in providing communication recommendations for public health agencies and shows potential for use by other agencies…
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▼ The Crisis and Emergency-Risk Communication (CERC) model is effective in providing communication recommendations for public health agencies and shows potential for use by other agencies with similar crises characterizations. The current study explores the challenges of earthquake scientists in communicating earthquake risk during the pre-crisis stage in order to grasp experts’ experience and gain insight into the complex and multifaceted world of communicating earthquake risk. The researcher integrates the in-depth knowledge with the recommendations of the pre-crisis stage of the CERC model. This study employs qualitative interviewing with earthquake scientists (N = 21) from the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC). Categorized under general challenges, communication challenges, and communicating probability challenges, findings from this study indicate that earthquake scientists face eight unique challenges, such as communicating uncertainty, emphasizing their responsibility as solely hazard communicators, and keeping public attention during earthquake quiet periods. Implications for earthquake scientists during the pre-crisis stage of CERC are discussed and recommendations are provided.

Herovic, E. (2016). THE CHALLENGES OF COMMUNICATING LOW PROBABILITY AND HIGH CONSEQUENCE RISK: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EARTHQUAKE PRE-CRISIS AND EMERGENCY-RISK COMMUNICATION. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Kentucky. Retrieved from http://uknowledge.uky.edu/comm_etds/50

Herovic E. THE CHALLENGES OF COMMUNICATING LOW PROBABILITY AND HIGH CONSEQUENCE RISK: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EARTHQUAKE PRE-CRISIS AND EMERGENCY-RISK COMMUNICATION. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Kentucky; 2016. Available from: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/comm_etds/50

► This study uses concepts of rhetorical agency to analyze how corporations communicate effectively or ineffectively with their customers on social media. While literature from the…
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▼ This study uses concepts of rhetorical agency to analyze how corporations communicate effectively or ineffectively with their customers on social media. While literature from the fields of business, marketing, and public relations has addressed corporate social media more generally, there is a lack of information about how corporations should consider rhetorical concerns when structuring messages to their customers. Technical and professional communication studies have also explored the topic of social media, but have yet to closely analyze corporate social media responses to customer complaints. To conduct this study, I combined concerns from both business and technical and professional communication to reveal how companies and customers attribute agency to one another, and how insight from these interrelated fields creates a foundation for future research involving corporate social media communication.
In this study, I analyzed two customer service Twitter accounts to determine how rhetorical agency was at work within customer complaint interactions. The findings from this analysis demonstrate that companies do not always communicate in ways that allow for mutual attributions of agency. I argue that customers and companies must be able to view one another as capable of action in order for successful communication to occur.

► A microsystem assessment of two inpatient medical-surgical wards in a medical facility determined a majority of nurses reported dissatisfaction with the amount and type…
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▼ A microsystem assessment of two inpatient medical-surgical wards in a medical facility determined a majority of nurses reported dissatisfaction with the amount and type of communication with the interdisciplinary team. This, along with a review of Press-Ganey scores from the inpatient wards, revealed patients reported decreased satisfaction when asked if “nurses kept me informed”, compared to previous quarterly reports as well as other VA facilities. Multiple studies have shown the benefit of personalized whiteboards (PWs) at the patient bedside in improving not only communication but also safety and patient outcomes. A PW was developed by the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) student and CNL preceptor to aid in communication with the patient and the interdisciplinary team with a specific aim to improve patient and nurse reports of satisfaction with communication to greater than 80% by April 2016.
PWs were implemented on two inpatient medical-surgical wards with regular audits occurring to ensure compliance. Nurses and patients were surveyed randomly to determine perceptions of the effect of PWs on interdisciplinary communication. Press-Ganey scores related to “nurses kept me informed” were evaluated pre-intervention, two months after implementation, and then again at four months. Results of Press-Ganey scores showed improvement two months after implementation that decreased slightly at four months. More importantly, surveys of nurses and patients revealed the PWs increased reports of satisfaction with interdisciplinary communication. This project supports the CNL role of client advocate in that it works to improve patient outcomes and encourages the patient to be active participants in their healthcare.
Advisors/Committee Members: Elena Capella.

Karn, C. (2016). The use of personalized whiteboards in the inpatient acute care setting and their effect on patient and nurses perception of communication. (Thesis). University of San Francisco. Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/291

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Karn, Cheryl. “The use of personalized whiteboards in the inpatient acute care setting and their effect on patient and nurses perception of communication.” 2016. Thesis, University of San Francisco. Accessed February 22, 2019.
https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/291.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Karn, Cheryl. “The use of personalized whiteboards in the inpatient acute care setting and their effect on patient and nurses perception of communication.” 2016. Web. 22 Feb 2019.

Vancouver:

Karn C. The use of personalized whiteboards in the inpatient acute care setting and their effect on patient and nurses perception of communication. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of San Francisco; 2016. [cited 2019 Feb 22].
Available from: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/291.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Karn C. The use of personalized whiteboards in the inpatient acute care setting and their effect on patient and nurses perception of communication. [Thesis]. University of San Francisco; 2016. Available from: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/291

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

▼ Abstract
Despite advances in treatment, pain remains a significant problem in healthcare today. Sub-optimal pain management results in poor patient outcomes and patient satisfaction, culminating in decreased quality of life and financial loss for the health care facility. An important component of pain management is transparent and timely health care team/ patient communication. This project aims to improve patient satisfaction in pain management by incorporating pain medication last given and next available times on patient whiteboards. The targeted floor was a busy post-op medical floor in a medium sized community hospital. Staff were educated with short educational sessions, educational pamphlets, an informational posterboard, and demonstration during RN shadowing. Pre-and post-intervention inquiries were conducted with staff and patients regarding whiteboard usage and pain management. Usage and accuracy were audited. Results indicate an improvement in patients’ knowledge of their pain management plan, inclusion, and comfort in asking for medication. RN surveys revealed increases in writing, using, and perceptions of intervention utility A CNL using transformational leadership would be integral to shaping a culture that would embody and sustain patient-centered evidence-based practice.
Advisors/Committee Members: Elena Capella, T. Gallo.

Gonzalez-Shalaby, Carmela, MSN, R. (2016). Use of the Patient Whiteboard to Improve Communication of Pain Medication Schedule. (Thesis). University of San Francisco. Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/327

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Gonzalez-Shalaby, Carmela, MSN R. Use of the Patient Whiteboard to Improve Communication of Pain Medication Schedule. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of San Francisco; 2016. [cited 2019 Feb 22].
Available from: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/327.

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

Council of Science Editors:

Gonzalez-Shalaby, Carmela, MSN R. Use of the Patient Whiteboard to Improve Communication of Pain Medication Schedule. [Thesis]. University of San Francisco; 2016. Available from: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/327

Note: this citation may be lacking information needed for this citation format:Not specified: Masters Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

► Discourse shapes the way that we are able to know both others and our self. It can present options for shaping our identity we may…
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▼ Discourse shapes the way that we are able to know both others and our self. It can present options for shaping our identity we may not otherwise have experienced or know about. When we focus on becoming a singular subject position rather than a complex human being we limit the possibility to move fluidly among many different subject positions. In the process we normalize an ideal version of being that discounts alternative possibilities and treats identity as a static category. One grand scale Discourse in society today provides American society, in particular, with a fixed notion of how to “be” an athlete. By employing an autoethnographic approach, I weave together my own narratives to demonstrate the inherent limitations that athletes face, and the real effects of this dominant Discourse each individual athlete must face. I use these stories to further evoke an understanding of how alternative discourses of athlete can create new possibilities for imagining who, what, an "athlete" can be. By evoking the power of stories through bricolage, I show how alternative discourses can successfully resist fixed idealized subject positions like athlete. By highlighting the problematic effects faced by athletes over their lifespan, I hope to encourage this in attempt to disrupt the way we think about identity formation and invite individuals to reimagine what they do or accomplish. How we are able to create and foster such spaces can create new possibilities for negotiating individual identity in more fluid ways across all types of subject positions.

► Parents of seriously ill children are charged with making complicated medical decisions, and many of those decisions are made during their children’s hospitalizations. As medical…
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▼ Parents of seriously ill children are charged with making complicated medical decisions, and many of those decisions are made during their children’s hospitalizations. As medical staff seek to support parents, it is important for them to understand what resources parents are drawing upon for decision-making. This project explored parental decision-making by examining the following research questions: RQ1: What resources do parents draw upon to make medical decisions for their seriously ill children? RQ2: How do parents enact their spiritual or religious frameworks in clinical settings when faced with medical decisions for their seriously ill children? Methods of research included ethnographic observation of a pediatric palliative care team and semi-structured interviews with twenty parents and grandparents of seriously ill children. Analysis of the interview data brought out three main themes: the role of spirituality for parents of seriously ill children, the ways parents perceive spiritual conversations with hospital personnel, and the role of spirituality for parents making difficult decisions. A case study is presented as an exemplar of complex decision-making, and the author offers her personal narratives of parenting a seriously ill child. The author suggests new directions for practitioners based on a constitutive approach to communication in which practitioners and parents work together to build towards an understanding of the child’s illness. The findings from this study contribute to the current understanding of families with seriously ill children and should shape medical education in a way that will benefit the next generation of professional care providers as they seek to meet the needs of children and their families.

► In this dissertation, I am in conversation with the following questions: How can individuals and communities teach and learn to engage more peacefully, nonviolently, and…
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▼ In this dissertation, I am in conversation with the following questions: How can individuals and communities teach and learn to engage more peacefully, nonviolently, and compassionately with each other? Further, how can one practice a style of communication that helps at least one person suffer less each day? In asking these questions, my goal has been to imagine as well as attempt to actualize a world where individuals and communities work together to create less suffering in each other's lives by first developing compassionate awareness of our interconnectedness, then "waking up" not only to our own divinity but also to that place in all of us where the entire universe dwells. In this dissertation, communication is situated as both a spiritual practice and as a practice of yoga.
To illuminate this notion, I have sequenced this text as a yoga practice in and of itself, employing Shiva Rea's "wave methodology" to introduce and support the peak purpose of this text -communication as yoga - via svadhyaya, or self-study, as a path to expand relational awareness through everyday small acts or micropractices. Communication, thus, becomes an emergent process based in yoga philosophy and practice wherein one learns to acknowledge and take responsibility for one's interactions with others and other realities by recognizing one's shared vulnerability. To heighten this awareness, this text includes 108 asanas or micropractices, which serve to explore my guiding questions as well as exemplify communication as yoga - as an everyday practice.

► The complex socio-ecological problems we face today often require that researchers collaborate with individuals and organizations outside of their own disciplines and, oftentimes, outside…
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▼ The complex socio-ecological problems we face today often require that researchers collaborate with individuals and organizations outside of their own disciplines and, oftentimes, outside of academia entirely. This sustainability science model encourages university researchers to engage in participatorymodels of engagement, where nonscientific publics and scientists working outside of academe are invited to co-produce knowledge and, through collaboration, arrive at solutions for sustainability. Despite the popularity of participatory models of engagement in sustainability science, very little research has examined sustainability science researchers’ perceptions of epistemic authority in conjunction with their engagement behavior. This kind of work is important given that the epistemic privileging of science can function as a significant barrier to the creation of meaningful solutions, particularly when it comes to persuading diverse groups of people to buy-in to one particular solution over another in complex sustainability-related contexts.
I combine science communication theory with the concepts of epistemic authority and expertise to explore stakeholder engagement within a large sustainability science research effort. In chapter one, I explore the potential underlying factors, including epistemic assumptions, that drive model use, specifically addressing the continued use of the diffusion model (i.e. public deficit) in science communication research and practice. In chapter two, I qualitatively explore the extent to which sustainability science researchers afford science epistemic authority and assess their use of different models of science communication within their stakeholder engagement efforts. The results of chapter two challenge the assumption that sustainability science creates an egalitarian epistemic environment and the presumed connection between sustainability science and participatory models of engagement. In chapter three, I quantitatively examine the relationship between NEST researchers’ perceptions of stakeholder expertise and their science communication behavior. Results of this chapter three indicate a positive relationship between how sustainability science researchers perceive the expertise level of their stakeholder partners and the manner in which they engage those partners. Taken together, this work adds to the growing body of literature in science communication that explores how different models of science communication emerge and demonstrates the value of studying the relationship between epistemic assumptions and science communication practice.
Advisors/Committee Members: Laura Lindenfeld, Kathleen Bell, Jennifer E. Moore.

Suldovsky, B. M. (2016). Communicating Who Knows What in Sustainability Science: Investigating the Role of Epistemology in Science Communication and Engagement. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Maine. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2712

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Suldovsky, Brianne M. “Communicating Who Knows What in Sustainability Science: Investigating the Role of Epistemology in Science Communication and Engagement.” 2016. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Maine. Accessed February 22, 2019.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2712.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Suldovsky, Brianne M. “Communicating Who Knows What in Sustainability Science: Investigating the Role of Epistemology in Science Communication and Engagement.” 2016. Web. 22 Feb 2019.

Vancouver:

Suldovsky BM. Communicating Who Knows What in Sustainability Science: Investigating the Role of Epistemology in Science Communication and Engagement. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Maine; 2016. [cited 2019 Feb 22].
Available from: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2712.

Council of Science Editors:

Suldovsky BM. Communicating Who Knows What in Sustainability Science: Investigating the Role of Epistemology in Science Communication and Engagement. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Maine; 2016. Available from: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2712

► The issue ownership theory states political parties tend to emphasize the issues they are perceived to own in a bid to gain an advantage…
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▼ The issue ownership theory states political parties tend to emphasize the issues they are perceived to own in a bid to gain an advantage in public opinion. Although tested on different established political issues and in mass communicational settings, the theory has not been adequately tested for new and evolving political issues and on social media. This study attempts to test issue ownership theory and examine episodic and thematic media framing in Twitter conversations of US senators regarding the issue of digital privacy. Combination of computerized and manual content analysis is used to download and analyze all US senators’ tweets related to the issue. The results show marginal issue ownership effort by Republicans, and reverse issue ownership, also known as issue trespassing, effort by Democrats. The senators who were active about the issue in the Congress were also active on Twitter. The senators used comparatively more episodic framing in the beginning period and thematic framing in the middle period of the time frame. The results suggest senators, being a member of a deliberative political body, did not follow partisan rhetoric on digital privacy. On the other hand, the mass-personal nature of Twitter is related with the medium having comparatively little issue-owning cues. Future suggestions for issue ownership studies on social media settings and for non-partisan issues are discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Fred Vultee.

► This thesis uses relational dialectics theory (RDT) to make sense of the experiences of millennial mothers. RDT is a heuristic theory of relational meaning…
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▼ This thesis uses relational dialectics theory (RDT) to make sense of the experiences of millennial mothers. RDT is a heuristic theory of relational meaning making and asserts that relationships and identities are negotiated in states of competing and contradictory discourses. This thesis can be conceptualized as two projects: autoethnography and qualitative inquiry using semi-structured interviews. Autoethnography explores the researcher’s own experience with the topic. Interview participants were asked a series of questions about their lives as millennial mothers to identify competing discourses, management strategies, and implications for identity. Three primary tensions were identified of millennial vs. mother, authenticity vs. persona, and connectedness vs. autonomy. The management strategies and identity implications fall in line with each dialectical tension. This research indicates that motherhood is a contradiction with millennial, so conclusions reveal a variety of balancing and sense-making acts to discern experiences as a millennial mother.
Advisors/Committee Members: Jake Simmons.

► ABSTRACT COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT by DENISE WALKER This thesis will analyze different case studies involving catastrophic disasters. I will compare their rescue…
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▼ ABSTRACT
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT
by DENISE WALKER
This thesis will analyze different case studies involving catastrophic disasters. I will compare their rescue response from the government to FEMA's response to Katrina, to establish a basis for comparison. The Midwest Floods and California fires will be compared to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans because these places are prone to natural disasters. I will look at each of these states ecology to explain why these states are prone to floods, fires and hurricanes. Unlike the Midwest and California, Hurricane Katrina received far less help from the government and FEMA. I will explore the reasons why this unfair practice took place and propose solutions to make sure this will not happen again.
Chapter one focuses on defining what is interdisciplinary studies and discusses how it can be used to solve complex problems. I will discuss New Orleans background and give an overview of hurricane Katrina. I will examine the importance of the wetlands and show why New Orleans has always been prone to floods since it was founded. Chapter two will explore California's landscape and why this region constantly has wildfires. Yet, despite this they have a good track record for successfully fighting the fires due to technology, a sound disaster plan and excellent leadership. Chapter three covers the 2008 Midwest floods and the different states involved. Due to torrential rainfall the world feared they were witnessing another Hurricane Katrina. However, thankfully our fears did not materialize due to the fast response from the government and FEMA. The purpose of this chapter is to study the Midwest to determine why floods are so prominent in these areas. I will also compare Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts to the Midwest floods.
Chapter four will show how the role of race, class and ethnicity played a role in the disaster relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, California fires and the Midwest floods. I intend to show that low-income individuals, minorities, women, the elderly and other disenfranchised groups are disproportionately affected by disasters, as Hurricane Katrina demonstrated. Chapter five is the final chapter and it will explore technological solutions that need to be in place in every state to avoid another disaster like Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina suffered not only from technological breakdowns but direct communication failures that could have been avoided. These failures were the main culprit for hindering relief efforts. Information technology is important to employ successful rescue efforts but strong leadership and communication skills are crucial to make sure the technology is implemented correctly.
Advisors/Committee Members: Roberta DeMeyer, Julie Klein.

► Applying a public sphere approach to Wayne State, I argue that the university has defined itself as a public subject within public debates about…
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▼ Applying a public sphere approach to Wayne State, I argue that the university has defined itself as a public subject within public debates about race, educational access, and economic development in the city of Detroit, even when such commitments to its local urban public sphere have existed uneasily alongside its ambition to function as a research university with a primary research mission within a wider public sphere of peer research universities. I focus on Wayne State University’s urban mission and open for consideration the ways the university has both expanded and contracted its relationships to its local and academic public spheres in the past century and a half. This argument is developed by tracing the past, present, and possible future of the University’s urban mission through readings of what I identify as institutional texts—texts created by, within, or on behalf of the University which make legible the ways in which Wayne State’s role within its constituent publics has been continuously articulated and rearticulated since its founding nearly 150 years ago. The work in this dissertation contributes to scholarship in publics theory and public rhetoric, first, by arguing that tensions between publics are legibly inscribed in institutional texts; and second, by demonstrating a critical methodology for understanding institutions as public subjects.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ellen Barton.

► This dissertation develops an approach to institutional critique that re-works Porter, Sullivan, Blythe, Grabill, and Miles’ foundational configuration. This project argues that John Dewey’s…
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▼ This dissertation develops an approach to institutional critique that re-works Porter, Sullivan, Blythe, Grabill, and Miles’ foundational configuration. This project argues that John Dewey’s concept of democratic communication articulated in his debate with Walter Lippmann provides a useful heuristic for developing democratic communicative practices that allow citizens and experts to communicate with one another about technical issues such as water quality and safety. Through an analysis of Michigan’s emergency manager law, the relationship between citizens and experts that exposed the crisis, and the Flint Water Advisory Task Force’s Final Report, this dissertation establishes that citizens must participate in technical decision-making and makes pragmatic suggestions to increase citizens’ meaningful participation. This project concludes with theoretical and pedagogical implications of a participatory institutional critique.
Advisors/Committee Members: Richard Marback.

► Nonverbal communication has been an area of communication theory studied for decades. Despite more daily communication occurring over mediated communication, there is a lack of…
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▼ Nonverbal communication has been an area of communication theory studied for decades. Despite more daily communication occurring over mediated communication, there is a lack of research surrounding digital communication, specifically mobile-mediated communication (MMC). While there has been research conducted regarding computer-mediated communication (CMC), specifically studies examining email communication and instant messaging (IM), the mobile conversation is relatively untouched by current scholarship. This paper will streamline nonverbal coding research to set the groundwork for application and translation of nonverbal coding elements to mobile-mediated communication and the text message conversation. Even more specifically, the elements of kinesics, vocalics, and chronemics will be reviewed and further defined to see if these elements translate to the digital elements of emojis, typed laughter, and excessive capitalization and punctuation.

► In this case study, I analyze the 2014 North Korean computer database hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), a serious national security crisis of…
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▼ In this case study, I analyze the 2014 North Korean computer database hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), a serious national security crisis of cyberterrorism. I utilize Normal Accidents theory as a lens, to help explain how the accident within one system (SPE) and later crisis lead to the interaction with a second system (U.S. Federal Government), the development of a new crisis, and the need for a crisis response from system two. The evolution of a single organization’s accident into a national security crisis does not occur without specific complex interactions that take place to connect the two systems together. To explain this interconnectedness between systems, I introduce two new constructs: 1) common denominator and 2) common goal, which expand Normal Accidents theory allowing it to account for the coupling between the two independent systems (SPE & United States Government) through non-linear interactions. Overall, this case study provides important insight for future crisis communication planning, response, and development regarding between-organization interaction during a crisis.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dr. Steven Venette, Dr. Kathryn Anthony, Dr. John Meyer.

▼ Interactivity research lacks consensus regarding the qualities and consequences of interactive experiences. Empirical proof is needed to substantiate the numerous interactivity theories and provide direction for new media technology developers. Specifically, there is a shortage of research on differences between user experiences of interactivity when technology enables communication versus when it does not. In addition, interactivity research is often confounded by the construct of presence.
This study’s objectives included: 1) identifying qualities associated with interactive experiences; 2) disambiguating the constructs of interactivity and presence; and 3) developing a measure of perceived interactivity for VW research. The experimental design measured perceived interactivity and presence following completion of a simple task in the online Virtual World (VW) known as Second Life. It was hypothesized that both perceived interactivity and presence would be greater for subjects encountering avatars believed to be controlled by other people than for subjects encountering no other avatars in the VW. A total of 180 subjects from the University of Kentucky participated in a 2 by 4 factorial experiment. Perceived interactivity was measured by modifying McMillan and Hwang’s Measure of Perceived Interactivity for the VW context.
Two essential qualities of interactive experiences were identified: Responsiveness and engagement. These qualities are characteristic of unmediated, FTF conversation, which was perceived as the most interactive communication context above technologies routinely described as interactive. Decreased responsiveness of technology at a second study venue caused significant decline in perceived interactivity, demonstrating the importance of a technology’s reaction speed and control provided to the user. Significant main effects for perceived interactivity due to encountering other avatars were confounded by interaction effects due to differences in technology responsiveness. Interactivity and presence appear to be separate psychological constructs which covary in the context of a new media experience. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Robinette, J. L. (2011). UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES: PERCEIVED INTERACTIVITY AND PRESENCE WITH AND WITHOUT OTHER AVATARS IN THE ONLINE VIRTUAL WORLD SECOND LIFE. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Kentucky. Retrieved from http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/145

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Robinette, Jennifer Lynn. “UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES: PERCEIVED INTERACTIVITY AND PRESENCE WITH AND WITHOUT OTHER AVATARS IN THE ONLINE VIRTUAL WORLD SECOND LIFE.” 2011. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Kentucky. Accessed February 22, 2019.
http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/145.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Robinette, Jennifer Lynn. “UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES: PERCEIVED INTERACTIVITY AND PRESENCE WITH AND WITHOUT OTHER AVATARS IN THE ONLINE VIRTUAL WORLD SECOND LIFE.” 2011. Web. 22 Feb 2019.

Vancouver:

Robinette JL. UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES: PERCEIVED INTERACTIVITY AND PRESENCE WITH AND WITHOUT OTHER AVATARS IN THE ONLINE VIRTUAL WORLD SECOND LIFE. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Kentucky; 2011. [cited 2019 Feb 22].
Available from: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/145.

Council of Science Editors:

Robinette JL. UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES: PERCEIVED INTERACTIVITY AND PRESENCE WITH AND WITHOUT OTHER AVATARS IN THE ONLINE VIRTUAL WORLD SECOND LIFE. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Kentucky; 2011. Available from: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/145

► The purpose of this study is to examine credibility as it pertains to blogging. While studies have traditionally considered credibility in the context of…
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▼ The purpose of this study is to examine credibility as it pertains to blogging. While studies have traditionally considered credibility in the context of the material being created, this study examines source credibility in the context of the personality creating the material. Therefore, this study functions primarily as an exploratory study and seeks to present an understanding of source credibility from the perspective of the individuals participating in blogging communities cultivated by influential bloggers. An interview questionnaire was specially developed for this study. Ten participants were selected for this study. Eight of them are females, two of the participants are males. All but one of the participants are Caucasians.
The study’s results show that support for attributions of credibility differing based on receiver gender and ethnicity does not exist. However, there was a difference in the types of credible behavior attributed to the bloggers in this study. Responses concerning the male Hispanic blogger indicate credibly behavior oriented toward providing depth of information, whereas responses concerning the White female blogger indicated an inclination toward a community-centric blog focused on providing a broad range of resources. Due to the limited sample size of this study, the ability to make general statements and infer statistical significance is limited, thus relegating this study to being only useful for exploratory purposes. This study’s results, data interpretation, implications, and possibilities for future research are discussed at length.
Advisors/Committee Members: John W. Haas, Elizabeth M. Hendrickson, Virgina W. Kupritz.

► As a society we realize that the dynamic needs of science and society are often complex and interdependent and that there is a need…
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▼ As a society we realize that the dynamic needs of science and society are often complex and interdependent and that there is a need to work with and across diverse expertise and practices in order to create the development of new methods and to provide innovative solutions to socially relevant work. Thus, we call collaborative research efforts into action. Maine’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) is such an endeavor, as it is a collaborative effort traversing a nexus of complex, dynamic challenges in Maine, including issues related to socio-economic shifts, climate change, and declining capture fisheries. While SEANET’s plan to incorporate a collaborative approach aims to achieve an inspiring, sustainable end-goal it provides only a high-level map for how to get there, and includes few explicit directions. Following the need to better understand such an effort, this thesis considers the interdisciplinary collaboration on the team and provides both action-orientated and theoretical insights.
The following thesis is an analysis of the individuals and teams involved in this sustainability science minded project. More specifically, this research informs strategies of improvement for the SEANET team while also adding to the scholarly conversation on interdisciplinary collaborations through the use of both quantitative methods and qualitative methods. In the first part of this study, an online survey was distributed to assess the current communication preferences and engagement needs of the team. Compiled into a technical report, this chapter is aligned with the needs of team, and the NSF strategic plan in place, to foster informed collaborative processes moving forward. The second part of this study entailed the use of interviews to better understand how team members contend with deeply normative dimensions of interdisciplinary success. This chapter provides insight into how scientists and research agencies involved in sustainability science minded interdisciplinary teams might shape research agendas and their relationship to society moving forward.
Advisors/Committee Members: Laura N. Rickard, Bridie McGreavy, Laura Lindenfeld.

Roche, A. J. (2017). How do we collaborate? A look into Maine's Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network. (Masters Thesis). University of Maine. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2879

Roche AJ. How do we collaborate? A look into Maine's Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network. [Masters Thesis]. University of Maine; 2017. Available from: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2879

► This dissertation analyzes the discourses produced by the selected newspaper coverage of the Montréal Canadiens and Québec Nordiques, two professional hockey clubs based in the…
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▼ This dissertation analyzes the discourses produced by the selected newspaper coverage of the Montréal Canadiens and Québec Nordiques, two professional hockey clubs based in the province of Québec, from 1979 to 1984. Sport has long provided a medium for national identification, and constitutes one the most effective institutions through which the nation is imagined. This is especially true of Canada, where ice hockey has been celebrated as the country’s national game and a window into the Canadian soul. However, sport is a malleable institution; in Québec, hockey has long served as a symbol, speaking to French Canadian national identity, imbued with its own significance independent of any pan-Canadian context.
The Montréal Canadiens, founded in 1909, were the sporting institution most intimately associated with French Canadian identity. However, following two decades of unprecedented social, political, and economic changes in Québec, newspaper journalists in the early 1980s questioned the Canadiens’ monopoly over Québécois affections. As a result, the newspaper coverage of the rivalry between the Canadiens and the newly-formed Nordiques was anchored in Québec’s neo-nationalist politics, and the teams became channels for debates about language, social change, the shape of Québec society, and the nature of Québec identity.
Through a critical discourse analysis of the newspaper coverage of the Canadiens and Nordiques in both French and English newspapers, I determined that the Nordiques were celebrated as an institution that both reflected and advanced the neo-nationalist project, while the Canadiens were depicted as having fallen out of step with the pace of Québec’s social and political change. The neo-nationalist identity constructed through this newspaper coverage normalized the French language as the foundation of Québécois identity, but, contrary to the claims of neo-nationalists themselves, also constructed ethnicity and biology as central to the neo-nationalist sense of self. The identity represented through this hockey coverage excluded and even demonized Québec residents, such as Anglophones, who deviated from these norms. These discourses exposed the deep schisms that existed in Québec society in the early 1980s.

► The Nature and Perceived Influence of Lifestyle Discussions with Older Adults in Primary Care Rationale: A healthy diet and physical activity help with disease prevention…
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▼ The Nature and Perceived Influence of Lifestyle Discussions with Older Adults in Primary Care Rationale: A healthy diet and physical activity help with disease prevention and disease management and can promote quality of life regardless of the age at which an individual begins engaging in these behaviors. Despite the value of these health behaviors, many older adults do not follow lifestyle recommendations. Given that older adults frequently interact with the healthcare system, primary care providers are well situated to counsel older adults to improve their health behaviors. Unfortunately, we do not know how to most effectively engage in this counseling. The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand whether and how providers discuss diet and physical activity with their older patients and how patients perceive their providers’ communication regarding diet and physical activity.
Method: One hundred and four older adults, ranging in age from 65 to 95, consented to have their routine primary care visits recorded and immediately following their visits engaged in semi-structured interviews regarding current health behaviors and perceptions of their providers’ diet and physical activity recommendations. Clinical visits were selectively transcribed and analyzed using qualitative description. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed through a process of constant comparison.
Findings: Discussions of diet and physical activity occurred in over two thirds of visits; recommendations for diet and physical activity occurred in less than half of these discussions. The majority of patients correctly recalled whether or not discussions of diet or physical activity had taken place. Patients reported that the likelihood of engaging in healthy diet and physical activity related to personal motivation and perceived confidence in the ability to make effective changes, both of which could be influenced by providers’ recommendations. When providers did not discuss diet or physical activity, or mentioned these topics only briefly, patients often perceived the message that they should continue with their current behaviors.
Implications: These findings support an integrated theoretical framework, highlighting the role of autonomy and confidence, for understanding how providers can promote patients’ health behaviors. Implications for providers’ training and the healthcare system are discussed.

Bardach SH. The Nature and Perceived Influence of Lifestyle Discussions with Older Adults in Primary Care. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Kentucky; 2013. Available from: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gerontol_etds/4

Liberty University

28.
Peniche, Cristina.
The War on Drugs: An Analysis of the Rhetoric According to Richard Weaver’s Theory of Ultimate Terms.

► The language associated with President Nixon’s ‘war on drugs’ has sparked considerable debate in the political struggle against narcotics' abuse and crime, as well as…
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▼ The language associated with President Nixon’s ‘war on drugs’ has sparked considerable debate in the political struggle against narcotics' abuse and crime, as well as within scholarly research. There is a language associated with the debate and it reflects the primary considerations of policy makers- economics, criminal behavior, and morality. The present study discusses these qualities as well as the rhetorical ideas of Richard Weaver, specifically his theory of ultimate terms. Then, discussions within research show the discontent that scholars bear towards narcotics'-related language. Specifically, there is concern that the rhetoric may stigmatize certain populations and hinder better outcomes. As such, the researcher analyzed four speeches under the Nixon, Regan, Bush Sr. and Obama administration, to examine the kind of language used and to draw trends. Weaver’s theory of ultimate terms- using god and devil terms- was applied; select words were graphed according to their context within this framework. Then, patterns and trends were discussed. It was found that, through language, a stigma was present, and that the primary emotion appealed to was fear. The researcher then concluded that scholarly concern with the language was merited. Finally, the ethics of the language was discussed, according to Richard Weaver and according to the Judeo-Christian perspective. In summary, the language, through the analysis of words according to ultimate terms, fell short of ethical responsibilities

Peniche, C. (2015). The War on Drugs: An Analysis of the Rhetoric According to Richard Weaver’s Theory of Ultimate Terms. (Masters Thesis). Liberty University. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/381

Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition):

Peniche, Cristina. “The War on Drugs: An Analysis of the Rhetoric According to Richard Weaver’s Theory of Ultimate Terms.” 2015. Masters Thesis, Liberty University. Accessed February 22, 2019.
http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/381.

MLA Handbook (7th Edition):

Peniche, Cristina. “The War on Drugs: An Analysis of the Rhetoric According to Richard Weaver’s Theory of Ultimate Terms.” 2015. Web. 22 Feb 2019.

Vancouver:

Peniche C. The War on Drugs: An Analysis of the Rhetoric According to Richard Weaver’s Theory of Ultimate Terms. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Liberty University; 2015. [cited 2019 Feb 22].
Available from: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/381.

Council of Science Editors:

Peniche C. The War on Drugs: An Analysis of the Rhetoric According to Richard Weaver’s Theory of Ultimate Terms. [Masters Thesis]. Liberty University; 2015. Available from: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/381

► Student bullying is a growing and damaging problem in society today. This study investigates the role of bullied students' attributions and coping strategies through…
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▼ Student bullying is a growing and damaging problem in society today. This study investigates the role of bullied students' attributions and coping strategies through Heider's (1958) attribution theory (AT) and Crick and Dodge's (1994) social information processing model (SIP). Rich data are obtained from bullying blogs that showcase how bullied individuals make sense of their experiences online. The important findings that emerge from this investigation relate to similarities in men's and women's attributions and differences in their coping strategies and resources to manage victimization. Additionally, both men and women experienced similar negative outcomes with particular coping strategies and resources, suggesting that future research is warranted to improve social support strategies with parents and teachers. These findings will aid those interested in bullying programs and interventions, in the hope to reduce destructive attribution formations and coping behaviors that often lead to prolonged victimization and detrimental consequences.
Advisors/Committee Members: Tara Emmers-Sommer, Tara McManus, Jennifer Guthrie, M. Alexis Kennedy.

► America’s technology-infused society is cluttered with torrents of information and often scarcity of facts. Many people never bother to check where information is coming…
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▼ America’s technology-infused society is cluttered with torrents of information and often scarcity of facts. Many people never bother to check where information is coming from, whether the sources have been documented and if the presentation is fair, balanced and worthy of our democratic nation. Hundreds of experienced journalists have left or been forced out of newsrooms due to financial pressures in the industry and monumental changes in technology. These experienced journalists have been dedicated to serving as the eyes and ears of citizens who do not have time to attend hours of meetings, question those in authority, analyze details from multiple sources and request documents through the freedom of information process. Journalism is the ‘fourth estate,’ charged with maintaining a watchdog presence over the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. As newspapers, radio and television lean toward entertainment and sports programming, a vital stream of diverse voices comes through folk music. Long a channel for commentary on war, peace, work and social issues, folk music is a valuable, and increasingly critical, element for preserving a healthy democracy.